5 of the worst refereeing performances in the last decade (2010-2019)

5. Antonio Mateu Lahoz – Manchester City vs. Liverpool (2018)

Pep Guardiola was left furious by the calls of Antonio Mateu Lahoz

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was reportedly already concerned with the appointment of Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for his side’s crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool in 2018, after the official had put in a poor showing in City’s loss to Monaco in the competition during the previous season.

As it turned out, he was right to be worried. Lahoz – an eccentric character known for turning up to stadiums wearing sunglasses and giving thumbs ups to the fans – winked at the camera pre-game and then bizarrely produced six yellow cards during a match which simply wasn’t dirty enough to warrant them.

Even worse for Guardiola, he wrongly chalked off a goal from Leroy Sane for offside – and then sent the Spanish boss to the stands when he angrily charged onto the pitch to protest the decision. City ended up losing the game 1-2, crashing out of the competition, and their fans – and boss – were left furious with Lahoz.

Post-match, Guardiola stated that “whenever people see things, he will decide the opposite”, which seemed to be a calmer response than some City fans, with one stating that the Spaniard’s officiating job had been “pathetic”.